Photo of John Davis Chandler
Acting

John Davis Chandler

Profession
Acting
Born
January 28, 1935 · Hinton, West Virginia, USA
Died
February 16, 2010

Biography

John Davis Chandler (1935–2010) was an American character actor renowned for his distinctive, intense onscreen presence and his prolific career playing villains, outlaws, and shady miscreants. Born in Hinton, West Virginia, and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, he broke into film in 1961 by landing the title role of real-life 1930s gangster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll in the biopic Mad Dog Coll. That breakout performance cemented his niche as an exceptional on-screen heavy, enabling him to carve out a nearly 40-year career spanning more than a hundred film and television credits. Throughout his career, Chandler became a familiar face in classic Westerns and gritty crime dramas, notably collaborating multiple times with director Sam Peckinpah in films such as Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Mainstream audiences also recognize him for playing the sneering gang leader Bleak in the 1987 action-comedy Adventures in Babysitting, alongside feature work in Capone, Only the Lonely, and Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. In addition to his extensive film resume, he was a ubiquitous television guest star, appearing on classic programs ranging from The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Adam-12, and Columbo to Murder, She Wrote. Science fiction fans also remember him for his appearance as the Orion character Flith in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine sixth-season episode "Honor Among Thieves". He passed away on February 16, 2010, at the age of 75 in Toluca Lake, California, due to cancer.

Known for

The Outlaw Josey Wales poster
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Film · 1976 · ★ 7.5
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine poster
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Series · 1993 · ★ 7.9
ER poster
ER
Series · 1994 · ★ 7.8
Columbo poster
Columbo
Series · 1971 · ★ 8.1
Adventures in Babysitting poster
Adventures in Babysitting
Film · 1987 · ★ 6.9
Walker, Texas Ranger poster
Walker, Texas Ranger
Series · 1993 · ★ 7.0
The Incredible Hulk poster
The Incredible Hulk
Series · 1977 · ★ 7.2
Airwolf poster
Airwolf
Series · 1984 · ★ 7.6
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid poster
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Film · 1973 · ★ 7.2
Murder, She Wrote poster
Murder, She Wrote
Series · 1984 · ★ 7.5
Body of Evidence poster
Body of Evidence
Film · 1993 · ★ 5.0
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead poster
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
Film · 1994 · ★ 5.8

Filmography